Amsterdam, January 28 2021 – For all of us 2020 has been an eventful year to say the least. For the data center industry, the pandemic has been a watershed moment: it has been the year in which it has proven its importance for our daily lives and economies – for the whole world to see and experience. Today, the KickStart Europe Conference, which was well attended last week with over 900 attendees, 400 digital meetings and 850 connections, releases its annual European Outlook. In the report you find the most important insights shared at the January conference, next to predictions on the near future regarding cloud, data centers, IT and business trends.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the digital infrastructure industry has shown its resilience and reliability. Digital transformation has become crucial for survival; something which the pandemic only accelerated even more. Governments and businesses around the world have seen the crucial part their digital infrastructure takes in their daily operations and the lives of their citizens. That means that IT infrastructure investments will not be impacted by the coming economic crisis following the Covid-19 crisis, expects Peter Vermeulen from PB7 Research, one of the contributors to the report.

The other side of the coin is that ongoing regulations, more emphasis on (data) protection and portability and the use of power by data centers, is looked at more closely by businesses and governments. As a result of standing in the spotlights, the data center industry needs to step up their game regarding sustainability efforts and flexibility. No wonder that the European Data Centre Association EUDCA announced their self-regulatory ‘Climate Neutral Data Center Pact’ at the KickStart Europe conference. Climate change stays the biggest challenge of our time, even in times of a worldwide pandemic.

KickStart Europe 2021: from Covid-19 to Sustainability to Edge

Penny Madsen-Jones, CBRE’s EMEA Data Center Research Director, who spoke as keynote speaker at KickStart Europe 2021, also contributed to the report. She anticipates a lot of movement in 2021, both inside the FLAP Markets – with 400 MW already in planning, 2021 looks like it will be a record year for new supply – and outside FLAP, with built-to-suit providers entering new and emerging markets.

Report available, including recordings

The presentation of Penny Madsen-Jones, as well as the 10 expert panel sessions held at KickStart Europe are all recorded and available for review. Check out the European Outlook report for all the sessions!  

The report, with key insights into the data center and digital infrastructure industry, is freely accessible via www.kickstartconf.eu/outlook2021.

About KickStart Europe

KickStart Europe is the Annual Strategy & Networking conference on trends and investments in tech and digital infrastructure. By bringing together an array of industry professionals at the start of the year, KickStart Europe helps to explore the emerging trends and technology shaping the digital industry and digital infrastructure of cloud, connectivity and data centers.

See www.kickstartconf.eu or contact info@kickstartconf.eu